Sengottai (also known as Shencottah, Chenkotta or Shenkottai) is a town in the

Tenkasi district Tenkasi () is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, India, separated from Tirunelveli district on 22 November 2019. The Government of Tamil Nadu announced its creation on 18 July 2019. The district headquarters is at Tenkasi. Geography The ...

, of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is the gateway to southern

and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. Spread over an area of 2.68 km² with a population of over 26,823, the economy of the town and Sengottai Taluk revolves around the cultivation of rice, coconut, mango, clove and pepper. Sengottai is well known in Tamil Nadu as a major market of Dosa kal (commonly known as Dosa tawa). This town has lot of blacksmith shops.

History

Sengottai was originally part of the

Travancore Kingdom The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananth ...

. In December 1851, the boundary between

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...

and Travancore on the Sengottai side was clearly defined as proposed by General Cullen as early as 1846, and finally sanctioned by the Madras Government. Sengottai Municipality was constituted in 1921. In 1949, Sengottai was part of the newly formed state of Travancore-Cochin. The

States Reorganisation Act The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's States and union territories of India, states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries ...

, 1956 came into effect from 1 November 1956, and consequently, the Tamil-speaking area of Sengottai taluk of Quilon district were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to Tirunelveli district of

Madras State Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...

. Sengottai was reclassified from a Grade III municipality to a Grade II municipality as per G.O. No.85 dated 22 May 1998.

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Sengottai had a population of 26,823 with a sex-ratio of 1,035 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 2,642 were under the age of six, constituting 1,327 males and 1,315 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 10.06% and 1.21% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 78.09%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 7146 households. There were a total of 10,736 workers, comprising 114 cultivators, 674 main agricultural labourers, 1,923 in household industries, 7,435 other workers, 590 marginal workers, 14 marginal cultivators, 60 marginal agricultural labourers, 105 marginal workers in household industries and 411 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Shenkottai had 76.98%

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 21.19%

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 1.77%

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and 0.06% following other religions.

Geography and climate

Sengottai is located at . It has an average elevation of 181 metres (594 ft). The town is surrounded by the Western Ghats in three sides and lies on the

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

and

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

highways. The Harihara and Gundar rivers flows through the city. Sengottai Gap is a major mountain pass connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu in addition to

Palakkad Gap Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in the state of Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between the ...

Transport

Road

The National Highway NH-744 from

passes through the town. State highway SH-39 (Sengottai-Courtallam-Ambasamudram-Tirunelveli) links the major parts of the extreme south of Tamil Nadu, including

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...

and

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

. The road also offers good freight connectivity to Tamil Nadu's second largest seaport,

and

Cochin Port Cochin Port or Kochi Port is a major port on the Arabian Sea – Laccadive Sea – Indian Ocean sea-route in the city of Kochi in Ernakulam district in the state of Kerala and is one of the largest ports in India. The Vallarpadam container ...

Bus

Sengottai's long-distance bus station, located on Madurai - Kollam Road, is served by buses from the government of Tamil Nadu's TNSTC

Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Ltd. - (TNSTC) is a government owned public transport bus operator in Tamil Nadu, India. It operates Intercity bus services to cities within Tamil Nadu, and from Tamil Nadu to its neighbouring states. It al ...

, KSRTC

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the country's oldest state-run public bus transport services. The corporation is divided into three zones ( ...

and private transport companies. Several private and government operated services connect to

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port city, port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the di ...

Tenkasi Tenkasi () is a town and headquarters of the Tenkasi district in Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Tenkasi is the third largest city in tenkasi district after Kadayanallur and Sankarankovil. Being one of the most significant spiritual and cultural ...

Virudhunagar Virudhunagar is a city and the administrative headquarter of the Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located southwest of the state capital Chennai and south of Madurai. Virudhunagar emerged as an important trade c ...

Rajapalayam Rajapalayam () is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest municipality in the Virudhunagar district, Virudhunagar district. Rajapalayam is located on the Madurai to Kollam National Highway at a distance of 562 km so ...

, Cumbum

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, 70km from Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in th ...

Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...

Dindigul Dindigul (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul City is Located in the Southwest Region of Tamil Nadu. Dindigul is an ancient settlement r ...

Palani Palani or Pazhani () is a town in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is located about west of Dindigul, south-east of Coimbatore, north-west of Madurai, from Kodaikanal. The Palani Murugan Temple or Arulmigu Dhandayut ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

Tiruppur Tiruppur or Tirupur ( ), is a city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of the Noyyal river in Western Tamil Nadu, it is the fourth largest city in the state. It is the administrative capital of T ...

Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: Places in India * Puducherry (union territory), formerly known as Pondicherry ** Puducherry (city), capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district The Puducherry District, also know ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

Punalur Punalur is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It is in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and footh ...

Kottarakkara Kottarakkara (IAST: Koṭṭārakkara), also transliterated as ''Kottarakara'', is a town and municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. Kottarakkara lies to the east of Kollam city centre. History Kottarakkara, also known in the ...

Kumily Kumily, also spelt as Kumaly () is a revenue village and Gram Panchayat in the Idukki district of the state of Kerala. It is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve and a well frequented tourist destination. Kumily is a ...

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

Ooty Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...

, Gudalur,

Velankanni Velankanni (''Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi''), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of ...

Tirupur Tiruppur or Tirupur ( ), is a city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of the Noyyal river in Western Tamil Nadu, it is the fourth largest city in the state. It is the administrative capital of T ...

and other major cities. It has a bus stand in town and the region also has a

bus depot.

Rail

The Sengottai railway station is in the Southern Railways zone/Madurai division of

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

and falls on the

line. The station code is SCT. The line from Tirunelveli to Sengottai railway station was opened in 1903; the connection to

Quilon Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and is 71 kilometers (44 mi) nort ...

, which was completed later, was the most important trade route to Travancore province in British India. Shencottah is also connected to major Tamilnadu and Kerala cities with daily services to

Erode Erode (; īrōṭu), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Kaveri river and is surrounded by the Western Ghats. Erode is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu. It is the administrativ ...

Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

Mayiladuthurai Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a :ta:சிறப்பு நிலை நகராட்சிகள், Special Grade Municipality and district headquarters of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town ...

Guruvayur Guruvayur ) is a municipal temple town in Thrissur district, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

Palghat Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

and

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

Air connectivity

The nearest airports are as follows:- # Thoothukudi Airport () #

Trivandrum International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is an international airport that serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and the fifth international airport of ...

() #

Madurai International Airport Madurai Airport is a customs airport serving Madurai and its adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 40th-busiest airport in India, both in terms of passengers handled and aircraft movement. The airport is located near State Highw ...

() #

Cochin International Airport Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...

() #

Tiruchirappalli International Airport Tiruchirappalli International Airport is an international airport that serves Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The airport is situated at National Highway 336, approximately south of the city center, and occupies . As of 2 ...

()

Educational institutions

Govt And Govt Aided Schools

* SMSS Govt Boys HSS * SRM Govt Girls HSS * Govt High School * Veera vanchinathan memorial middle school * Govt Middle school Kacheri Compound * M.M Middle School, SCT RS * AG Primary School, Keelur SCT * AG Primary School, Melur SCT * Ariyanallur Govt Primary School * Sri Jayadra Higher Secondary School * Thiruveni Vidhyalaya School. * jothi kurinchi vidhyalaya School. * The gurugull primary school. * Nivetha primary School. * Sri primary School, * Ssv primary School. * Muslim High School Vadakarai

Banks

* State Bank of India * Canara Bank * Indian Overseas Bank * HDFC Bank * Federal Bank * TMB Bank * Tirunelveli Co-operative Bank * Pandiyan Grama bank Sengottai RS FINANCE COMPANY * Muthoot finance * Mini muthoot finance * Muthoot Fincorp finance Ltd * IIFL finance * Muthalagu Finance * Kadanthottu finance * Sri Ram Finance * IDFC first Bharath Finance Ltd * kosamattam finance * Sapthagri Finance Ltd LIC *Life insurance corporation of India. SHOW ROOM. *Sathiya Home appliance *Darling home appliance. *selva Ganapathi home appliance. *ST pandiyan home appliance *Indian Mobiles *Medina home appliance.

Entertainments & Tourism

Parks Sengottai town has three parks. Muthusamy park near municipal office, Municipality park near pump house and another one is Musthafa memorial park located near Taluk Office shencottah. Water falls *

Courtallam Courtallam, natively spelt Kutrālam or Kuttālam, is a panchayat town situated at a mean elevation of in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu, India. The Coutrallam Falls on the Chittar River is a major tou ...

water falls 5 km from shencottah *

Old Courtallam Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

water falls 11 kms from shencottah * Five Falls water falls 7 km from shencottah Dams * Gundaru Dam (6 km From Shencottah) *

Adavinainar Dam The Adavinainar Dam is located at the foothills of Western Ghats and border of Kerala, built across the Hanumanadhi River near Mekkarai, Vadakarai in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It provides water for irrigation to the ...

also known as mekkarai dam (12 km from shencottah) * Sri mulapperi dam - Puliyarai (12 km From Shencottah) *

Thenmala Dam The Thenmala Dam also known as Parappar Dam is part of the largest irrigation project in Kerala, India. It is built along Kallada River in Kollam district of Kerala. The reservoir is used for irrigation and power generation. The dam project st ...

- Thenmala (28 km From Shencottah) Temples *

Thirumalai kovil Thirumalai Kovil is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Murugan, situated at Panpoli, Sengottai in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is about 100 km from Thiruvananthapuram. The temple is situated on a small hill surround ...

9 km from Shencottah * Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Tenkasi 8 km from Shencottah *

Aryankavu Sastha Temple The Aryankavu Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located in Aryankavu in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the five major temples dedicated to Shasta in Kerala, the others being Kulathupuzha, Achankovil, Sabarimala ...

15.7 km from Shencottah *

Achankovil Sastha Temple The Achankovil Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple located near the banks of the Achankovil, Achankovil River in the Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the five important temples dedicated to Shasta (deity), Shasta in Keral ...

27.3 km from Shencottah *

Kulathupuzha Kulathupuzha is a town in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is one of the important pilgrim spots linked with the legend of Sabarimala. It is the birthplace of the Malayalam music composer Raveendran. Kulathupuzha is t ...

- 40 km from Shencottah * Kottavasal Karuppasamy - 9 km tamilnadu border. * Puliyarai thatchina moorthy temple. * Ilanji Kumarar Kovil * Saiva pillyar kovil * sekadi Vinyagar temple * kulasekara nathar, Kulalvaimozhi amman temple. * nithyakalayani amman temple. * vandimalachi amman temple. * perumal kovil Temple. * Navanitha krisannan temple. * Sarguru Malayalasamy temple. * Sarguru Arumugasamy temple. * Suppan Setti Palam Sudalai Madasamy temple. Eco Tourism * Five Falls eco tourism -

(6 km From Shencottah) * Thenmala

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

(28 km From Shencottah)

Villages

Panpoli Panpoli is a village (Town panchayat) situated near Sengottai Taluk in Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu, India. Demographics As of the 2011 Census of India, Panpoli had a population of spread over households. Civic Administration Panpoli ha ...

Vallam Vallam is a panchayat town in the Thanjavur taluk of Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Demographics 2011 Indian census, Vallam has a population of 14,495. Males constituted 48% and females 52%. Vallam has an average lite ...

* Piranoor * Periyapillaivalasai *

Moondru vaaikkaal ''3'' is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth, the former wife of the actor Dhanush, who also produced the film, thus making their debut in both the fields. He also pl ...

* Irattai kulam * kathirvan colony * Shengottai Melur, * kannupuli mettu * kaduvetti, * Visawanatha puram * Subramaniyapuram

Notable People

Nigar Shaji Nigar Shaji (born 1964) is an Indian aerospace engineer who works at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's national space agency. Early life and education Nigar Shaji was born Nigar Sultana to a Tamil Muslim family. Her father, ...

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

Scientist and Project director of

Aditya-L1 Aditya-L1 (Sanskrit: 'Sun', L1 ' Lagrange Point 1') is a coronagraphy spacecraft for studying the solar atmosphere, designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and various other Indian Space Research Institutes. ...

Vanchinathan Vanchinathan (1886 – 17 June 1911), popularly known as Vanchi, was an Indian independence activist. He assassinated Robert Ashe, then district collector of Tirunelveli district on 17 June 1911 at Maniyachchi railway station. Ashe was consid ...

- Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary.

References

External links

* {{Municipalities of Tamil Nadu Cities and towns in Tenkasi district